A historical European martial arts (HEMA) school focused on the military combatives of WW2. Including Unarmed, Sticks, Knives and Bayonet Fencing.
11/08/2026
Our Sten mkII stripped down for maintenance.
They get a lot of flack and wouldn't be my first choice but they filled a desperately needed hole in the British arsenal after Dunkirk.
Other nations actually copied the idea later in the war with America producing the Grease gun and Germany using the MP3008.
09/08/2026
It was great to see so many people enjoying our session at Fightcamp
Massive thank you to Valerie and Rob HEMA photographers for the excellent photos
08/08/2026
If you’re interested in getting involved with us, here’s how it works.
We run a small, friendly club focused on the study and practice of real WW2 combatives and historical martial arts.
This isn’t a self defence class or a fitness bootcamp. It’s about understanding how these systems were actually taught and used, and training them in a safe, structured environment.
You don’t need any experience at all. Most people who come along are completely new.
We train in York on Tuesday evenings from 8:00–9:30pm.
If you’d like to give it a try, just drop us a message with “TRIAL” and we’ll get you booked in for a session.
If you’ve got any questions, feel free to ask.
Battalion Martial Arts - WW2 Martial Arts in York We are a Historical European Martial Arts (HEMA) club Based in York, UK, that teaches World War Two Combatives.
So in typical British fashion this started as it's too warm In the hall let's train outside 😂
As for what we were doing, we were trying to get double grips on the other person to give them practice escaping them using fairbairns front escape.
05/08/2026
Even more additions to the armoury, a Nahkampfmesser (German trench/boot knife) and a Stick gr***de.
04/08/2026
York instructor Chris practicing tiger claw strikes
02/08/2026
WW1 trench knives leftover after the 1st war were issued to US service personnel early in WW2 as a stopgap.
Brutal looking things but not my preference as it forces you into a hammer grip.
31/07/2026
The wall of weapons we took to Fightcamp 2026.
I'm occasionally asked why I spent so much money on de-acs and replicas.
The obvious answer is because they are cool 😂 but the more serious one is that I'm a huge believer in understanding the real thing you are training with.
Obviously we have to make concessions for safety in class but i think knowing the characteristics of the real weapon, its weight and its handling are a key part of HEMA as well.
What do you think? 🤔
30/07/2026
Battalion Martial Arts Hull Instructor Mike giving fritz a good edge of hand blow
Desensitization training from our SOE lesson at Fightcamp last weekend.
Argument > Wrestle > technique
It was wonderful to get 40 people doing this at the same time I think we gave everyone else a bit of a shock 😂
| 8pm - 9:30pm |